Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

This new edition of this tense, shocking and deeply moving novel features a bonus short story, The Wide, Wide Sea. Introducing new characters and set before the events of The Ask and the Answer, it is a story of love and loyalty in a divided world. It is a Costa Award-winning novel.